Instant Racing Bill Still Alive in Virginia

Legislation that would allow Colonial Downs to offer Instant Racing has been attached to a bill dealing with account wagering issues and is headed to the floor of the Virginia House of Delegates.

The Virginia Senate approved a substitute bill by a vote of 20-17 Feb. 21 that attached the legislation to House bill 2626, which would allow temporary licensing of account wagering companies and was approved in the House.

The bill now goes to the House floor where, should it pass, it could reach Gov. Tim Kaine’s desk. Should it fail, it could remain alive as a possibility in a conference committee. Virginia’s General Assembly’s session ends Feb. 24.

A previous Senate approved version of the bill failed to get out of the House’s Committee on General Laws, as was the case with a House version of the bill.

Instant Racing allows patrons to make their wagers on historical horses by using limited racing data to make their selections. Once the wager is made, the race’s location, participants, and conditions are disclosed.